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Since 1996 Peter McNichol has worked in some of the poorest countries in the world, helping to educate and feed people who are struggling for many reasons.

Although Peter worked as a nurse for 13 years, charity work was something that he had wanted to do for a long time. Peter took his first volunteer role with Concern Worldwide in 1996, when the charity offered him a volunteer role in Angola.

Concern Worldwide work with people in the poorest countries in the world. The charity aims to improve their lifestyles in a sustainable way, so they can look after themselves.

Peter spent five years in Angola working in the country's nutrition centres, on rural health programmes and in a children’s hospital. He  then moved to Mozambique where he worked on developmental programmes, helping children and, particularly, young girls have access to primary education. Only three weeks ago (1st November 2008) Peter began his new role of Country Director for Concern in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kilmani Refugee Camp in Masisi.

"I’m in Kinshasa, right over the west of the country, which is huge. I’ve just had two weeks in and around Goma, where a lot of the current troubles are. It’s a four-hour flight from here. Some of the places we were visiting were a further ten hours on dirt tracks, so the place is quite huge. It’s a challenge to manage something this size, but we’ve got a very good team on the ground."

We’re doing a lot of work with displaced people. The recent increase in the level of conflict has led to an increase in displaced people. They’ve carried very few belongings with them, some of these people have been displaced before. Concern and other agencies are working with these people to provide blankets, emergency shelter and looking at some protection issues in the camps."

There is still conflict going on in the east, some areas are a little bit calmer than they were 2 weeks ago. But there are still people being displaced and there is still fighting. They are in urgent need of emergency support just to help them stay alive."

Family displaced from Kahira to the Kilimani camp.

Peter believes that the DEC's appeal for the British public to help those in the Congo is very important.

"We can’t forget that these people are suffering and they are suffering today. Over the longer term it’s important there is a political solution to the problem. The value of supporting DEC is it’s not one agency, it’s a number of agencies that have come together. They are pooling resources to look at the best use of the money and to co-ordinate activities.

"A lot of the money at the moment will go for emergency shelter, to provide people with plastic sheeting. Water cans, so that they can have access to clean water, to avoid outbreaks of diseases such as cholera. Also blankets. It’s the rainy season here, it can get very cold here at night and a lot of these people have nothing at all."